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About Us

At Sunbird AI, we want to provide leadership in AI for social good throughout Africa.

Our Story

Founded in 2019, Sunbird AI is an Uganda-based non-profit working at the intersection of artificial intelligence and social impact. Our goal is simple: to build practical AI systems that solve real problems while generating evidence to support better decision-making and policy.

How We Work

Every project starts with a real need. We collaborate closely with local partner organisations to explore whether AI can be applied in ways that are practical, ethical, & genuinely useful.

 

Some of our work results in end-user systems. Other projects focus on creating tools, datasets, and resources that enable others to build their own solutions.

What We Stand For

We believe in leading by example. That means sharing our work through open source and open research so it can be replicated, adapted, and expanded.

 

We also take ethics seriously, supporting organisations as they navigate complex questions around bias, privacy, and responsible AI use.

Meet the Team

Working alongside communities and partners to build technology that reflects real needs and realities.

Dr. Ernest Mwebaze

Executive Director & Co-Founder

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Engineer Bainomugisha

Founding Director

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Jimmy Cornelius Mpabanobi

Finance Officer

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Dr.John Quinn

Research Director

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Patrick Walukagga

Software Engineering Lead

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Benjamin Akera

Software Engineer

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Nsumba Solomon

Research Scientist & Software Engineer

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Nimpamya Janat Namara

Comm’s & Engagement Lead

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Dr Peace Tumuheki

Operations Manager

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Lilian Nabukeera

Administration Manager

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Gilbert Yiga

Software Engineer

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Nafula Evelyn Ouma

Machine Learning Data Engineer

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Joel Tibabwetiza Muhanguzi

Embedded Systems Engineer & Hardware Development Lead

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Tim Wenjie Hu

Visiting Fellow

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Paul Mugisha

Project Associate

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Meet the Team

Working alongside communities and partners to build technology that reflects real needs and realities.

Dr. Ernest Mwebaze

Executive Director & Co-Founder

View Profile
Engineer Bainomugisha

Founding Director

View Profile
Jimmy Cornelius Mpabanobi

Finance Officer

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Patrick Walukagga

Software Engineering Lead

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Benjamin Akera

Software Engineer

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Nsumba Solomon

Research Scientist & Software Engineer

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Nimpamya Janat Namara

Comm’s & Engagement Lead

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Dr Peace Tumuheki

Operations Manager

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Lilian Nabukeera

Administration Manager

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Gilbert Yiga

Software Engineer

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Nafula Evelyn Ouma

Machine Learning Data Engineer

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Joel Tibabwetiza Muhanguzi

Embedded Systems Engineer & Hardware Development Lead

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Tim Wenjie Hu

Visiting Fellow

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Paul Mugisha

Project Associate

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Board Members

Davis Otieno

Board Chair

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Sarah T. Lucas

Board Member

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Kenneth Legesi

Board Member

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Engineer Bainomugisha

Founding Director & Board Member

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Rhona Mijumbi

Board Member

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Dr. Ernest Mwebaze

Executive Director & Co-Founder

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Ernest Mwebaze has had a dual career in academia and in industry. He possesses over 10 years of teach- ing experience in computer science and machine learning. While at Makerere University he co-found- ed the Makerere University Artificial Intelligence research lab leading it to prominence in the field of practical implementation and deployment of artificial intelligence solutions.

In industry he has worked at the Google AI research lab in Ghana and the UN Pulse lab in Kampala where he focused on practical applications of artificial intelligence to tackle developmental challenges in agriculture, utility estimation and different focus areas of the SDGs. He is passionate about using artificial intelligence to improve society particularly in developing parts of the world. He is currently the executive director of Sunbird AI.

Engineer Bainomugisha

Founding Director & Board Member

Founding director of Sunbird AI and Chair of the Department of Computer Science, Makerere University.

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Engineer Bainomugisha is a Professor of Computer Science and technology leader with more than 20 years of experience spanning university research, education and the deployment of AI systems in Africa. He has pioneered and led major high impact initiatives, including AirQo, a Google-supported programme that uses IoT and AI to monitor and model air pollution across African cities, helping communities build healthier, more resilient urban environments. He is a founding director and board member of Sunbird AI, where he helps shape the organisation’s strategy and work in AI for social impact.  He is a Professor of Computer Science at Makerere University.

Jimmy Cornelius Mpabanobi

Finance Officer

A seasoned Finance, Internal Audit and Tax professional with extensive experience in financial management, risk management, internal controls, regulatory compliance, and taxation. Demonstrates a strong track record of enhancing financial performance, strengthening governance frameworks, and ensuring compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. 

 

Passionate about supporting organizations in achieving their strategic objectives by providing practical financial insights, strengthening internal control environments, managing risks effectively, and ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Recognized for integrity, analytical thinking, and a collaborative approach to solving complex financial and governance challenges.

Dr.John Quinn

Research Director

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Dr. John Quinn is the Research Director at Sunbird AI, where he leads research and development in AI for social impact across Africa. With nearly two decades of experience in artificial intelligence and machine learning, he has worked across academia, research, and industry, including roles at Makerere University, Google Research, and UN Global Pulse Lab Kampala.

His expertise spans AI, machine learning, geospatial data, and data systems, with a strong focus on developing practical, locally relevant technologies that address real-world challenges and drive social impact across Africa.

Patrick Walukagga

Software Engineering Lead

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Patrick Walukagga is a Backend Software, AI and Cloud Engineer at Sunbird AI, where he leads a software engineering team to support the Machine learning team in building api and web interfaces for our language technology.

My work spans backend engineering, cloud infrastructure design, CI/CD automation, and end-to-end system reliability. I have experience supporting ML-enabled products, optimizing backend performance, deploying ML models for both development and production, and implementing architecture patterns that make systems secure, observable, and maintainable at scale.

Benjamin Akera

Software Engineer

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Benjamin focuses on machine learning and translating research into production-grade systems. BSc in Software Engineering from Makerere University; MSc candidate at McGill under Prof. David Rolnick. Previously at Mila – Quebec AI Institute (AI for climate change) and Sama Montreal (computer vision). Lead author on the Sunflower LLM paper.

Nsumba Solomon

Software Engineer

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Solomon Nsumba is a highly skilled software engineer with a proven track record of success in the development of web and mobile applications. He is also a talented researcher with a strong focus on machine learning and computer vision. Solomon holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Software Engineering and Data Communication from Makerere University and is currently pursuing his PhD in Computer Science at the University of Washington. He is also a member of the Makerere AI lab and the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington.

Solomon’s work has been instrumental in transforming prototypes into usable software for various target audiences. He is sure to continue making a significant impact in his work, both at Sunbird AI and through his ongoing research efforts.

 

Nimpamya Janat Namara

Communications and Engagement Lead

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Janat  is a communications professional with a Master’s in Development Communications, passionate about leveraging research-based communication strategies to improve the lives of marginalized communities. Her work focuses on utilizing communication to advance social development goals and enhance public services for underserved populations. Her experience integrates communications and research to inform citizen-centered policies, with contributions to initiatives in Health, Livelihood Assistance, Social Protection, and most recently, Artificial Intelligence for evidence-based, inclusive systems.

Dr Peace Tumuheki

Operations Manager

Dr. Peace Buhwamatsiko Tumuheki is an Operations Manager at Sunbird. She possesses extensive experience and expertise in strategic planning and management, financial management, and project administration and management, as well as monitoring and evaluation of learning processes and outcomes

Lilian Teddy Nabukeera

Administration Manager

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Lilian Teddy Nabukeera is an Administrative Assistant at Sunbird AI with close to nine years of experience in office administration. She manages daily bookkeeping and petty cash, maintains accurate record-keeping, coordinates meetings and get-together meet-ups, oversees general office management, and ensures smooth day-to-day office operations. She is organized, dependable, and proactive, keeping the office efficient and welcoming, enabling the team’s focus.

Gilbert Yiga

Software Engineer

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Gilbert Yiga is a dedicated Software Engineer at Sunbird AI, where he specializes in deploying machine-learning models into production. With a passion for artificial intelligence and a deep interest in cutting-edge technology, Gilbert plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between innovative AI research and practical applications. His expertise lies in creating scalable, efficient, and reliable software solutions that drive the future of AI forward. Outside of work, Gilbert enjoys exploring the latest tech trends and contributing to the AI community.

Nafula Evelyn Ouma

Machine Learning Data Engineer

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Nafula Evelyn Ouma is a Machine Learning Data Engineer at Sunbird AI with a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics and a strong interest in machine learning, data engineering, and AI systems. Her work focuses on building and managing data pipelines, datasets, and infrastructure that support machine learning applications, particularly for African languages. At Sunbird AI, she has contributed to projects spanning speech and text data, dataset development, cloud-based data pipelines, and machine learning research, with a focus on building AI technologies that are relevant to African contexts.

Joel Tibabwetiza Muhanguzi

Embedded Systems Engineer & Hardware Development Lead

Joel “Tiba” Muhanguzi is an Embedded Systems & Machine Learning Engineer at Sunbird AI, where he leads the development of edge sensing solutions. His work spans low-power hardware, TinyML, and African-language AI, building systems deployable in resource-constrained environments across the continent.

At Sunbird AI, Joel spearheads the SunEcho urban noise monitoring platform, a network of solar-powered acoustic sensor nodes deployed across Kampala, with a live public dashboard at noise.sunbird.ai. He also contributes to Sunflower v2, a multilingual synthetic data pipeline spanning 60+ African languages.

Tim Wenjie Hu

Visiting Fellow

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Tim is an AI Researcher and Machine Learning Engineer. He earned an M.S. in Statistics from Stanford University and has worked at several leading AI startups in Silicon Valley, including Landing AI, founded by Andrew Ng, and Pony.ai, an autonomous driving company that went public in 2024. He is currently contributing to the training and development of large language models (LLMs) at Sunbird AI.

David Otieno

Board Member

Director of Programs for the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD).

David Otieno is a Board Member at Sunbird AI and Head of Programme for the Energy and Climate Cluster at GIZ Uganda. With nearly two decades of experience in international development, technology, and public policy, he works at the intersection of data, innovation, and sustainable development.

 

His expertise spans climate resilience, renewable energy, GIS, spatial data systems, and technology governance. David has led initiatives that use data-driven technologies to strengthen evidence-based decision-making and address environmental and societal challenges across Africa.

Sarah T. Lucas

Board Member

Global lead, DataDelta at IDinsight.

Sarah T. Lucas previously served as a Program Officer for Evidence-Informed Policymaking at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, supporting governments across East and West Africa to use data and evidence to strengthen policies. Previously, she held roles at the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Center for Global Development, with extensive experience in policy research and development across Africa and Central America. Sarah holds degrees from Wellesley College and Harvard University.

Kenneth Legesi

Board Chair

CEO/Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at Ortus Africa Capital.

Kenneth is the CEO and Chief Investment Officer at Ortus Africa Capital, providing strategic leadership and overseeing venture and debt investments supporting African entrepreneurs and businesses. He has co-founded and invested in ventures across fintech, e-commerce, logistics, energy, and infrastructure. Previously, he advised businesses and governments at Deloitte across East Africa and the UK. Kenneth is a CFA Charterholder with degrees from Makerere University and Imperial College London.

Rhona Mijumbi

Board Member

Founding director of Center for Rapid Evidence Synthesis (ACRES) at Makerere University.

Rhona Mijumbi-Deve is the founding director of the Centre for Rapid Evidence Synthesis (ACRES) at Makerere University’s College of Health Sciences. She is also a senior lecturer of public policy at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), where part of her portfolio is to head the Malalwi-Liverpool-Wellcome (MLW) Clinical Research Programme’s Policy Unit. Rhona trained as a medical doctor and following several years of working as a clinician and researcher, she has concentrated her efforts in understanding, supporting and improve the science-policy nexus.